I mean, come on — what if they overcooked it? What if there wasn’t enough truffle butter sauce? There was so much that could go wrong.

But it didn’t. The meat was tender and flavorful (and not overcooked — hooray!). And there was…dare I say it?…ENOUGH truffle butter sauce for me. ME! (That’s saying something, since I’m the person who orders an extra side of truffle butter sauce when I’m at the restaurant.)

You guys know how I feel about lemon curd…and how I feel about lemon curd paired with blueberries…so you can imagine how I feel about the Lemon Custard Verrine with Blueberry Compote at this year’s Desserts and Champagne Booth!

Salsiccia e “Papacelli” Napoletani at Italy Booth

Another brand new item at the festival this year is this sweet sausage with red pepper and Ciabatta bread found at the Italy booth.

Salsiccia e “Papacelli” Napoletani

Both sweet and spicy, the savory dish is definitely one I’d return to buy again!

Tequila Flight at Mexico Booth

Over at the Mexico Booth, the Tequila Flight is a bit steep at $12.50, but I thought the presentation was really fun.

Tequila Flight in Mexico

Sukiyaki Beef Pan at Japan Pavilion

OK, this is clarified on the menu as: Marinated Thinly Sliced Rib Eye with Sauteed Onions and Teriyaki Sauce Served in a Bun. And. It’s. Awesome!!! (I added that last part.)

Sukiyaki Beef Pan from Japan

Japan was my 23rd booth of the day, so by the time I got there I was so full and so tired that I was really dragging my feet. And while this little item doesn’t look like much, it really caught my waning attention! It was absolutely delicious!

Think “really good cheesesteak with no cheese and some teriyaki sauce instead” and you’ll get the idea. (You totally know what it’s like, now, right? I know. I have a gift of communication.) Anyway, try it. Get the sushi, too, but don’t pass by this one.

While there are plenty more brand new items at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, these were just a few stand-outs from my first day at the festival.

Ha ha!! You guys are hilarious! I wasn’t looking for kudos, but I’ll certainly take them! It was a long, but wonderful day to be sure! Headed back today to get one more booth and a few items that were not yet ready to be served yesterday.

That dessert trio looks delicious! My last trip to WDW was my first visit to the Food & Wine Festival, and I loved it. We’ll miss it when we go this year, but there’s already talk of catching it on the next trip. I’ll have to see what other finds you uncover this year!

Bravo, taking one for the blog (and the readers)! What a day, you must have been stuffed and exhausted! So great to get a peek at all the goodies, someday I will be celebrating fall at this wonderful event, in the meantime, thanks for all you do here.